


Cupid's Call

by Archer_Valentine



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Awkwardness, Coming Out, Drama, Emotional, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gay, Hurt/Comfort, In Character, Jealousy, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mystery, Romance, Secrets, Sexuality, Suspense, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-02-20 14:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13148802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archer_Valentine/pseuds/Archer_Valentine
Summary: Craig admits his feelings towards Tweek have changed.Mysteriously, the other boys of South Park also begin falling for Tweek.Like astronomical bodies that feel the gravitational pull of a nearby sun, they are set to collide, and someone is bound to get burnt.Can they uncover the charade that surrounds this phenomena before secrecy and jealousy rips them apart?This novel is set after the events of season 21 of South Park. This is not an alternative universe, as such an attempt has been made to make sure everyone is in character. This fanfiction is updated consistently every weekend.





	1. Those Famous Last Words

Craig Tucker was freaking out. To an untrained eye, one would see just a normal boy in a blue chullo hat, with a yellow puffball on top. His blank face matched his normally stoic personality. However closer inspection would reveal his tensed stance, his fists clenched tightly for one second before relaxing, as if trying to decide whether to stay and fight or run away. His green eyes quickly scanned across the tight crowd streaming outside the school building, before finally settling on a familiar jumbled mess of blond hair. An almost imperceptible smile now graced his face, as he moved quickly towards his goal. 

“Tweek, hey wait up!” said Craig, his voice deeper than ever. 

With a little yelp, Tweek quickly turned around. “Jesus! Craig, don’t sneak up on me like that!” His frown immediately gave way to a happy smile. “Oh, did you want to walk home together again?” Tweek’s hands fidgeted awkwardly on the hem of his incorrectly-buttoned up green shirt. 

Craig nodded, before offering his hand to hold. He couldn’t help but stare as his partner’s smile turned ever more beautiful at that gesture, everything else seemed to fade to the background. A familiar warm scent of ground coffee beans drifted nearby. The almost irrational feeling increased tenfold in Craig. Time seemed to move slowly in these moments, but never slow enough. 

Craig felt a gentle hand slip into his own, which shocked him back into reality. Nearly all the other students were already gone. Now days, the sight of these two together is all too familiar to raise any eyebrows, though Craig couldn’t care less about what anyone else thought. 

“What’s wrong Craig? You seem so tense.” Tweek’s head turned to give the other a questioning look. Craig allowed himself a moment to stare into those blue-green eyes, before quickly shifting his gaze down to the footpath. He shrugged, unsure how to bring up the topic which frequented his dreams, both day and night. “Oh god! Don’t tell me… the underpants gnomes got to you too!” 

“Huh?” laughed Craig. “No, I’ve just been thinking lately…” he mumbled before pausing, uncertain about what to say next. He felt Tweek squeeze his hand encouragingly. Craig glanced up and saw a look free of any possible judgement or demand. “Tweek, I know this relationship started out as fake. But lately my feelings have started to change.” 

Tweek suddenly turned into a shade of red. “Wha-what are you saying?” he stuttered. 

“I really like you, more than just a friend.” stated Craig bluntly. 

“O-oh... OH! Well… I, um -GAH! Soo much pressure! We-well I… um, I li-“ Tweek stammered, almost incoherently. He started twitching so violently he accidently let go of Craig’s hand. 

“It’s ok Tweek,” Craig quickly interjected. “You don’t need to say anything right now. I’m just hoping we can still hang out, the same as always.” 

“Of course, Craig!” said Tweek immediately. The taller boy relaxed as he let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding in. Relief washed over Craig, so much so a visible smile now adorned his face. 

“Well this is my house... I guess I’ll see you around then babe?” asked Craig, wanting a bit more reassurance, but at the same time wanting to flee the scene in embarrassment. 

“Ye-ye-yes! I’ll see you around!” The messy haired blond waved his arms around animatedly in an exaggerated farewell gesture. Well that could have gone worse, at least it wasn’t a complete rejection noted Craig as he turned around to go home. “Wait!” shouted Tweek suddenly. “I... um… Thank you, Craig.” 

Craig froze as he took in the sight of the other boy’s genuine smile. It’s disarming, one of the only few things which can get past the shields he puts up. He felt the heat rise on his face. “N-no problem.” Damn, and he was sounding so confident up until this point. Turning quickly, Craig walked away with apparent sureness. Craig did not dare look back until the front door was closed. With a mad dash towards the nearest window, he saw the still twitching, but clearly happy figure pivot towards the other direction. 

That almost irrational feeling in Craig was now inflamed with hope, since the source of those feelings wasn’t opposed to it. He watched as the trembling blond almost clumsily tripped over his own feet, perhaps being too distracted by his own thoughts. Everything Tweek did was too adorable. He was a captivating wonder, beyond comprehension. 

Craig couldn’t understand how no one else could see Tweek as clearly as he could.


	2. Beware of the Nice Ones I

The chill of the morning was nearly desensitizing, but all Tweek felt was warmth. The heat from the coffee was seeping through the flask he was holding, but that wasn’t the source of his feelings. Tweek replayed yesterday’s events in his mind with a happy smile. It was the first time in a long while he had slept so well, as the paranoia easily gave way to thoughts of a certain raven hair friend. As he drifted towards his locker the bell rang indicating that class would start soon, but Tweek wasn’t worried for once as everything was perfect in the world. 

Slamming shut his locker door, Tweek noticed the sudden appearance of something bright green and orange in his peripheral vision. Letting out a little yelp, he calmed down once he noticed it was just Kyle, staring at him with curious green eyes. Ok, maybe everything isn’t perfect, if only everyone just stopped trying to jump scare him! 

“Tweek, you look… different. Is everything ok?” asked Kyle, his head slightly tilted as if to get a better look at the unusually placid blond. His lime green fur cap slipped off a bit, revealing strands of curly red hair. The cap matched his mittens, but clashed with his bright orange jacket. Kyle was a person of many strong colours and contrasts. 

“Yes, I’m ok,” the other boy replied slowly in confusion. “Oh god! Nngh! Do I have something on my face?!” Tweek quickly wiped his face on the back of the sleeves of his navy green shirt. 

“No,” laughed Kyle. “Uh, I… I just meant you look great today…” he trailed off, before looking away as if uncertain about the direction of the conversation. Tweek’s brows furrowed in confusion, his mind not registering what the redhead was saying. “You know, I’m really hooked on Tweek Bro’s new Sunset blend…” 

“Kyle, what do you want?” Tweek interrupted, almost channelling his not-so-fake boyfriend’s demeanour. “We-we’re going to be late to our math class!” He suddenly remembered, today they were going to receive back their scores for the mid-term test. The blond felt his anxiety spike and the happy bubble burst, he is so dead! 

Kyle paused for a second, before sighing. “… yeah you’re right. Let’s go.”

* * *

“… dude I can’t believe you failed that math test!” said a brown-haired boy to the visibly shaking blond mess, who was seated on the other side of the cafeteria bench. Clyde’s voice was quite nasally, the fact that he had a mouthful of food at the same time didn’t really help. He was the chubbiest of the four boys, but that was easily hidden by his thick red jacket. 

“I can’t believe Clyde didn’t get the lowest mark in that class for once.” stated another black-haired boy in a matter of fact tone. Token was wearing his signature purple shirt, with a yellow letter T in the middle. Ignoring Clyde’s mock hurt retorts, he turned towards the source of the trembling. “Tweek, what happened? This isn’t typical.” 

“I -I don’t know! Ahh!” Tweek pulled his hair slightly in distress, the food on his tray remained untouched in front of him. “I don’t wanna do a catch-up exam! Waaa! Why me!?” He groaned as he faceplanted onto his food. Craig sat beside him, his hand gently tracing out the contours of the other’s back in comfort. 

“I thought you always study with Craig at his house.” Token asked in confusion. “I mean he does really well at mathematics.” 

“Hey that’s right!” Clyde pipped in, bringing his hand up to his chin. “Something doesn’t… add up.” Token supressed the urge to roll his eyes. 

This line of questioning made Tweek lift his head and pause in reflection. It’s true, he often went over to Craig’s house under the guise of studying together. Tweek’s eyes widened at a sudden realisation. Most of the time, Craig said or did something to distract him from his work, which then ended up with them fooling around and playing video games! Tweek turned towards the boy in blue and uttered a single word, “Cr-Craig?!” 

Token pre-emptively covered Clyde’s mouth with his hand, so that the brown-haired boy’s immediate follow up question came out all muffled. There was an awkward pause as everyone else waited for Craig’s reply. “… sorry.” Craig shrugged. “I can’t help but tease you sometimes.” Tweek’s face turned a shade of red in embarrassment. 

“Oh-ho, come on you guys. Get a room.” Tweek jumped at the new voice beside him, before noticing that the source was none other than Eric Cartman. This grinning boy had on his trademarked blue and yellow hat, matching mittens and a red jacket which did not do much to cover his overweight figure. Somehow, Kyle and those guys joined them on the same bench without Tweek even noticing. 

“Shut up fat ass! They aren’t like that!” Kyle yelled in a tone more viscous than usual. 

Cartman looked at his part-time enemy in confusion, before his face melted into a knowing smirk. “So that was it.” He stated under his breath so quietly only Tweek managed to hear him. The blond’s face scrunched up in confusion at the cryptic statement. 

Kyle sighed before turning to give Tweek a soft smile. “I overheard that you are having some problems with maths. I am pretty good at it, so I can help tutor you if you want?” He ignored the predictable mocking from Cartman about fulfilling stereotypes. 

“Y-you would do that for me Kyle?” Tweek asked, breaking into a bright smile. “You’re such a good guy!” 

Kyle felt a slight blush rise to his pale face. “Of course, we are good friends. I mean you helped me look for my little brother when he got lost that one time.” He broke eye contact with Tweek, before asking almost hopefully, “… the catch-up exam is soon, so we can start right now if you want. Let’s go to the library where we can’t be disturbed.” 

“Ok sure!” Tweek got up from his seat happily. Craig almost immediately followed suit, intending on shadowing them. “N-no Craig. You’re too distracting, you have to stay here.” Tweek noticed the slight uptick in his partner’s normally neutral facial expressions, which he always does when he is conflicted about something. After a few seconds, Craig nodded before sitting down. “I’ll see you after school.” Tweek said with an apologetic smile before leaving the table with Kyle. 

“Jesus Christ, Craig! You’re totally whipped.” Cartman stated between mouthfuls of food. “I already warned you that if you don’t have some balls and take control of your side of the relationship, you’ll get walked all over!” 

“Just shut it Cartman,” Clyde retorted in defence of his friends. 

“Yeah, you really aren’t the best person to give relationship advice.” Token stated in agreement. 

Craig ignored them, instead focused on tracking those messy blond locks he knew so well, until they disappeared from his line of sight. Supressing a sigh, he instead opted to flip Cartman off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, I think I like AO3 over FF.net (this is my first fanfiction and I am still learning). As a consequence, from now on I will update this website first before FF.net. Thanks for the Kudos and comments.  
> \- A. Valentine


	3. Beware of the Nice Ones II

The library was as empty as predicted, even the librarian was nowhere to be seen. The books and other horizontal surfaces was covered with a uniform layer of dust. This place clearly hasn’t seen much love in this new digital information age. It creeped Tweek out, as if a ghost will pop out soon and haunt him! 

Tweek felt a cold hand on his shoulder and let out a little yelp. Turning around he saw Kyle with his hands up and his brows frowned in a look of concern. “Sorry dude, I just found a desk we can sit at.” Tweek calmed his breathing, before nodding and following the redhead to a secluded corner of the library. “Ok, so I think the best method to doing well on a maths test is to do plenty of examples. You can start by reading my notes I made for the mid-term test.” 

Tweek watched as Kyle slid his open notebook to his side, it was full of neat equations and words written elegantly in many assorted colours. As he made to grab the book, his hand accidently brushed the other boy’s own hand. Kyle immediately pulled away as if burnt and cradled the now shaking hand with his other hand. He looked away with a clear blush on his cheeks. That is when Tweek realised, Kyle must be as scared of this place as he was! He needed to be brave for Kyle’s sake. 

“It’s ok Kyle, I know how you are feeling.” Tweek asserted with projected confidence. 

“Y-you do?” Kyle looked at the other boy with wide eyes. 

“Yes, and it’s ok. I feel it too.” The blond-haired boy nodded his head rapidly in added emphasis. 

“Y-you do?!” Kyle’s mouth fell open. “B-but it’s wrong, we shouldn’t. I mean what about Craig?” 

Craig? How does he have anything to do with this? “We can’t help what we feel.” 

“Tweek…” Kyle brought up his hand to stroke Tweek’s cheek. This close, he could almost taste the warm aroma of coffee beans on the tip of his tongue. He stared into those green-blue eyes, they really were a matching pair. Tweek’s face suddenly turned into an interesting shade of red. 

“Eh? Oh god! Do I actually have something on my face this time?!” Tweek suddenly remembered how he faceplanted onto his food during lunch. How embarrassing if he was really walking around with food on his face! Pulling away, he wiped his face rapidly with the back of his sleeves. 

Kyle looked at the other in extreme confusion. “No dude.” Now that the spell was broken, his rational side kicked in and realised there must have been some miscommunication. “Um, to clarify, what did you mean by your feelings?” 

“Ahh! We-well, this place is really scary, don’t you agree?” Tweek’s eyes darted around the filled bookshelves in the room, as if to catch something sneaking up on them. “I feel like it’s haunted.”

Kyle couldn’t help but feel a bit of disappointment. However, that feeling washed away as he stared at the trembling boy, and how adorable he was being right now. “Sorry, you’re right. We should study at my place next time.” He watched as the blond boy jumped in his seat and turned towards an apparently soundless disturbance. 

Now Tweek really regretted stopping Craig from following them, as his stoic partner often helped him feel safe in situations like this. Though Kyle seemed to understand him, so that made him feel a bit better. “Thanks Kyle. You are a really good guy, and a good friend.” 

Sighing, Kyle muttered “… friend, right.” He visibly took in a breath, as if preparing to dive right into the deep end. “Actually Tweek, I do need your help on something important.” 

The blond noticed how serious Kyle was being. His mind quickly conjured up images of Kyle admitting he was a ghost and needed help moving on. Or worse, a vampire who needed to suck his blood to live. Wait, can a diabetic even be a vampire? Doesn’t blood have sugar in it? Maybe it’s ok as long as he took insulin. “Nngh! Wha-what is it?” 

Kyle took in another deep breath. “I uh, I think I’m gay.” He paused for a second before rephrasing his previous statement. “No, I know I’m gay, because I have a crush on another guy.” 

“Oh.” That was the last thing the twitching boy expected the other to say. He is just like Craig, Tweek thought with a gentle smile. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Who is it, Stan?” 

This caused Kyle to let out a large chuckle which reverberated around in the empty library, “Stan!? I knew that dude since preschool, he’s practically my brother! That’ll be strange... besides he’s straight.” 

“Oh, then Kenny?” Tweek asked curiously. 

“No dude, the same reasoning as Stan. He’s a good guy, but he’s actually pretty weird when it comes to... relationships.” 

“Wait... Ahh!” Tweek’s eyes widened with disbelief. “It couldn’t be Cartman!?” The sound of a stack of books toppling over onto the hard floor surface came from elsewhere in the room, but both boys were too absorbed in their conversation to even notice. 

“Sick! Maybe in an alternative universe where I’m sent to some fat camp for reeducation! Dude, can you please stop?” 

“Sorry I couldn’t help myself,” Tweek laughed. Kyle decided he liked it much better when Tweek was cheerfully carefree, over being adorably frightened. “I’m really happy you told me, but how could I help you?” 

Kyle stared for a moment, enchanted at the other’s genuine smile, before replying softly, “Tweek, you can help me more than you know it.” Kyle forced himself to break eye contact, before continuing “… but not here. Plus, lunch is about to end soon, and my next class is annoyingly on the other side of the school.” He then pushed himself to stand up and start packing up his stuff. “Could you meet me immediately after school in the gymnasium? Alone?” 

Honestly, Tweek really wanted to walk home with Craig again. However, Kyle seemed to be a genuinely nice guy, using his own time to help him and even telling him personal secrets. Tweek felt gratitude, so if there was something he could do to help him in return, he would. “Nngh! O-Ok Kyle, I’ll meet you there.” 

“I’ll see you there then.” said Kyle, as he returned a kind smile before leaving. 

Tweek suddenly remembered where he was, all alone now, and quickly started throwing all his stuff in his backpack unceremoniously. The now trembling boy walked half way to the door when he heard it. The sound of heavy footsteps behind him, in the direction he was just sitting at. “Ahh! Jesus Christ!” cried Tweek as he ran the rest of the way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for throwing Kyle x everyone else under the bus haha. There is a reference to the most commented/Kudos Kyle x Cartman (Kyman) fanfiction on this website at the time (An Education by hollycomb), therefore this line is slightly different on FF.net. 
> 
> This story is also tagged as part of the mystery genre, so I look forward to seeing how much you guys can figure out beforehand! 
> 
> \- A. Valentine


	4. Beware of the Nice Ones III

“… I swear I heard the footsteps of a ghost, Craig! It tried to get me!” The blond waved his free hand around in an exaggerated fashion. Craig felt how badly the other boy was still shaking through his other hand. 

“It’s just your imagination Tweek,” the boy in blue said calmly. “Besides, don’t ghosts float? You wouldn’t have heard footsteps in that case.” 

“Hey that’s right!” Tweek stopped to think. “It might not have been a ghost, but I heard what I heard. You have to believe me Craig!” 

“I believe you.” replied Craig honestly, gently squeezing his partner’s hand in reassurance. They both moved against the crowd, deeper into the school building towards the gymnasium. “Why did Kyle want to meet with you again?” 

“I don’t know… advice I guess?” Tweek decided to leave out the part of Kyle being gay. He didn’t think it was anyone’s business but Kyle’s own. 

“Why alone though?” Craig asked, frowning. 

“I-I don’t know,” Tweek repeated lamely. “I think he’s embarrassed.” 

“Embarrassed about what?” Craig was becoming increasingly concerned. The other boy could only reply in an incoherent jumble of words, realising he couldn’t give a proper explanation without lying or outing Kyle. The normally stoic one sighed. “It’s ok babe, I’m just worried for you. From personal experience, I know Kyle and those other three guys always have some stupid idea to do something, which always backfires. You could end up in some foreign country, or outer space, or something.” 

“I-I’ll be fine Craig!” said Tweek, now sounding less than certain. They paused in front of the gymnasium doorway, still holding hands. “Kyle is a nice guy, trust me.” 

It was the second time today Tweek noticed that Craig had that same slight deviation in his normally stoic facial expressions, like he wanted to say something but was conflicted. “Tweek, I trust you completely,” the boy finally admitted after a moment, in a volume so soft that the other thought he imagined it. 

“It’ll be ok.” Tweek reiterated again, stating this equally for his own sake. “I’ll see you around ok?” After Craig nodded, he felt the emptiness of the air around his now free hand as they broke apart. The blond gave one last gentle smile to the only person who could make him feel safe and calm, before pushing through the heavy doors alone.

* * *

Tweek saw a familiar figure in bright green and orange clothing, leaning on the furthest wall and staring intently at his phone. He moved awkwardly towards Kyle, less sure of why he ended up here in the first place, instead of walking home with Craig in comfort. As he got closer, the other boy finally noticed him and gave him a strange look that was a mixture of relief, happiness and something more. 

“Tweek! You’re actually here.” Kyle was quickly by his side and pulled the blond boy into a tight hug. “I was about to call you.” 

Tweek suddenly felt really uncomfortable, squirming in the other’s hold. He realised Kyle was acting quite unlike his usual self. He might have been possessed by that library ghost, Tweek thought. “Eeek! Kyle could you let go please?” 

“Sorry about that.” The apology wasn’t reflected in any change of his facial expression. “Uh, I was thinking… I know that you and Craig have been _together_ for some time.” Kyle stressed an unnecessary emphasis on the word together. “I was just wondering, how he is like, as a boyfriend?” 

“Nngh! Wha-what do you mean?” Tweek looked quite puzzled. 

“You know… Like, what are the traits that Craig has that you even find… remotely attractive?” 

There was an awkward pause as the blond processed what the other boy was trying to say. Suddenly, Tweek audibly gasped. “Y-you, you…” he struggled to say, pointing at Kyle. 

“Yes, that’s right,” Kyle nodded. 

“… you like Craig!” 

Kyle felt like slapping his own face in frustration. Now he realised why Craig sometimes seemed to be so blunt towards Tweek, out of necessity rather than a lack of subtle. “No dude. Uh, listen… some people think he wouldn’t be the most qualified to be with you.” 

“W-what are you trying to say?” Tweek was starting to feel like they were just talking in circles. 

“I’m saying, he’s clearly not an emotionally available person.” Kyle continued to stare at the other boy, intent burning in his eyes. “This isn’t good for you.” 

“You… you don’t even know what he’s like when we are alone.” Tweek looked away. He didn’t even know why he once thought Kyle’s eyes were similar to Craig’s greyish green ones. Kyle’s was deep green, so bottomless it felt like they might swallow him whole. 

“No, you’re right.” Kyle conceded. “But I do know him from before you two even got together. You know, when we went on a trip to Peru, he practically told me that he liked things to be simple and boring.” Tweek turned quickly to look at the other boy in surprise. This was new information about Craig he didn’t know. “You are not a simple person, Tweek. You are definitely not boring, to me.” 

“No… no that doesn’t mean anything. Nngh! That doesn’t… that ca-can’t be right! He-he told me… he told me…” 

“You can even ask Stan or Cartman, they were also there.” Kyle spoke with such authority, it must have been the truth. “Regardless, you deserve much better than Craig.” 

“Rrrrr! Why are you even care?!” Tweek finally snapped back. 

That sudden outburst caused Kyle to pause for a while, before sighing. “Listen, that person I have a crush on… that person is you.” 

“Wha-what… me!?” Tweek’s jaw dropped in surprise. 

“Ahahaha!” Boomed a different voice hidden behind a nearby platform, accompanied by the familiar sound of heavy footsteps heading towards the other two boys. “This is just perfect.”

“Cartman!” Kyle turned to look at the newcomer in shock. He had on a knowing smirk. “Wha-what are you doing here!? How did you even know where… How much did you hear!?” 

“I heard it all. You took everything from me, Kahl! Heidi would have still been mine if you didn’t force us to go search for your stupid lost brother! I bet that was all part of your sneaky plan!” Cartman was close enough to now show the other two boys the screen on his phone. It was a recently sent text message with an attached photo of Kyle hugging Tweek forcefully, and the receiver of that message was Craig. “I can’t just let you go off and have a happy ending, while I was made to suffer because of you!” 

Kyle realised he had no time to freak out, his mind worked overtime. He knew Craig’s house was at least ten minutes walking distance from the school, so that means he has five minutes minimum to persuade the blond of his pure intentions. However, he needed to deal with Cartman first. “Fatass! I told you that wasn’t…” 

“Gah! Just shut up for a second, Kyle!” The other two boys turned towards the shaking blond in alarm at the sudden outburst. Tweek thought it was strange, but for once he was thankful that Cartman was here. “Cartman, was everything he said… about what Craig likes, is it true?” 

The large boy didn’t immediately reply for once, instead looked at Tweek in thoughtful contemplation. “Yes,” he finally admitted truthfully. “… and Kyle, I won’t be interrupting you any further. After all, I now have front row seats to this train wreck.“ He snickered as he sat down on a nearby bench. 

Kyle chose to ignore Cartman as there was no time. Instead he took a step towards Tweek, who seemed to be zoning out. “Tweek, everyone else maybe stupid, but I know you are in a fake relationship to keep everyone happy in the first place.” This shocked Tweek out of his stupor, he had nearly forgotten how his relationship started. This amplified the growing feeling of doubt. 

“… please stop Kyle.” Tweek shook his head, not wanting to hear anymore. Kyle quickly grabbed the blond’s badly shaking wrist, so that he couldn’t step away. 

“You don’t need to be with Craig. In his twisted mind, he probably thinks staying with you is the easiest and most simple solution to keep everyone happy. Everyone but you! Has he even properly said you guys are going out as real boyfriends?” Kyle’s grip was tightened so much that the other boy felt nails digging into his skin. “He doesn’t even think about your feelings. He’s using you.” 

Tweek suddenly felt as if his heart was stabbed by spikes. It’s true, Craig hasn’t brought up the status of their relationship ever since deciding to stay as fake boyfriends. Craig only said he liked him more than a friend, that may not mean as boyfriends. For all he knows, it might have just been his own typical delusions that he thought they now had something more together. Tweek’s vision blurred as his eyes started to sting. “Kyle, sto-stop! You-you’re hurting me.” 

“Tweek, you don’t need to be in pain anymore.” Kyle leaned in so close that only Tweek could hear him whisper softly. “I can make you happy. I can, because unlike that guy, I actually love you...” 

There was a loud bang as the entrance doors suddenly swung open. All heads turned towards the figure in blue, who was out of breath. 

“Craig!”


	5. In Sickness and In Health I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary so far:  
> Craig and Tweek's relationship is progressing ever since Craig admitted his evolving feelings. Unexpectedly, Kyle also confesses to Tweek and tries to persuade him to end his relationship by bringing up certain truths about Craig. Tweek is hurt and confused when Craig suddenly bursts onto the scene...

“Craig!” Tweek cried. He blinked back a few of the tears so that he could see his partner more clearly. Craig looked back at his boyfriend in shock, as he took in the scene. His normally stoic face suddenly contoured in an expression of unbridled rage, as he started walking mechanically towards them. 

The unexpected appearance of Craig made Kyle instantly let go of Tweek’s arm, and take two steps backwards. He raised his hands in apparent surrender. “Craig, wait. Listen, I-I am trying to help the both of you…” That excuse sounded feeble even to Kyle’s own ears. He just didn’t expect Craig would have this reaction, weren’t they just faking a relationship? 

Before Craig could walk pass, Tweek grabbed his arm. For once, it wasn’t just one of them who was shaking badly. “Tweek, he hurt you. I will end him.” Craig’s voice was completely flat, as if he was talking about the weather in a matter of fact manner. This made Kyle take another instinctive backstep away from the threat.

The blond shook his head. “I just want to get out of here,” he said gently. Craig watched as his boyfriend begged him with his large blue-green eyes; most of the bloodlust left his system. Sighing, he nodded in agreement. The boy in blue let Tweek grab his hand and lead him back the way him just arrived from. 

“Aw! God damn it. I was expecting more action than this!” Cartman suddenly piped in with exasperation. Craig didn’t bother looking back, instead he raised his free hand to flip everyone behind him off as they walked together through the exit. 

Tweek noticed how one of the doors no longer closed properly because of the magnitude of the force applied to opening it just moments before. He felt better knowing that Craig would do that just to save him. However, Kyle’s words were still fresh in his mind, he wasn’t sure what to believe. Craig was staring at him with his brows furrowed in worry. “Honey, what just happened? Are you ok?” 

“Y-yes, I’m ok.” Tweek recounted everything that occurred today. Craig’s grip tightened as he told him about Kyle’s confession. “How did you get here so fast from your house, anyway?” 

“I was actually waiting for you just outside the school.” Craig admitted as he turned his head away in embarrassment. “I trust you, but not Kyle, especially how he was looking at you during lunch time.” 

“Oh.” Tweek now felt stupid about doubting the raven-haired boy’s feelings for him in the first place. It wasn’t with cheap love confessions like with Kyle, but with action in which Craig showed his feelings. However, he had to remove the echoes of doubt still reverberating in his mind, otherwise the paranoia would be too much. “We have been dating for a while now. How-how much of that was real to you?” 

“All of it,” replied Craig immediately. 

“But it isn’t easy to date me, is it?” Tweek asked quietly. “I’m-I’m not a simple or boring person.” 

“No, you aren’t.” Craig agreed. He let go of his boyfriend’s hand to instead wrap his arm around the other’s waist. “But you know… my life would be infinitely more difficult without you.” 

“Craig...” Tweek felt his face warm up at that ridiculously sappy line. He lifted his hand to try to hide the happy smile now gracing his face.

* * *

Kyle sat across a café table from another boy, who was wearing a blue hat with a red puffball on top. This boy looked none too impressed, as his red gloves pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Really Kyle? Really?” 

“I couldn’t help myself, Stan.” Kyle replied. “You don’t know what it’s like. Whenever I’m next to him, it’s like all my rationality gets thrown out the window.” 

“Look, I’m happy that you figured out you’re gay.” Stan said honestly. “But I thought you were the smart one. Tweek and Craig… They are the only couple left in the school, obviously they would be for real.” 

“I genuinely thought…” Kyle paused as he remembered the enraged expression on Craig’s normally blank face. “Well, maybe I was in denial about the whole thing.” 

“Thank you!” Stan said in relief at that admission. He finally let go of the bridge of his nose to cradle the hot coffee that was in front of him. “But why did you have to bring me here out of all places, to tell me all of this?” 

“I thought that if you were here with me, Tweek would be more comfortable when I explained myself to him.” The redhead looked around again in hope. “Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s here. I’ve also never seen that guy work here before.” Stan followed his friend’s gaze to a raven-haired boy standing behind the register, his blue clothes partially concealed by a white apron. The boy stared back at them with a neutral expression, before raising his hand to quickly flip them off. 

“Oh Jesus, Craig! Don’t flip him off, he’s going to get me!” Tweek tried to whisper as quietly as possible, so only his partner could hear. Craig glanced down to his boyfriend hiding behind the counter next to him. 

“I’m here. I won’t let him.” Craig replied firmly. The blond boy carefully peeked over the top of the counter, but from his viewpoint he could only see Stan, who just took a cautious sip of coffee.

“… I think he hates you, Kyle. Being here will just make them think you are a creep.” Stan frowned and looked suspiciously at the warm cup he was holding. 

“I’ve been coming to Tweek Bros Coffeehouse most mornings for a while now. I won’t just stop now. Also, it was Tweek’s dad who made our coffee, don’t be so paranoid.” Kyle took a large swing from his coffee cup just for show. 

“Luckily for me because apparently you like overly paranoid people now!” The redhead rolled his eyes in response. “Dude, as you’re friend… I think you should give up. Remember what happened to Heidi when you tried to break her up with Cartman?” 

Kyle spluttered, nearly spitting out his coffee. “That happened only that one time! Besides, it’s not like Tweek will turn into another Craig!” 

“Look, I’m your super best friend. So even if I think you’re wrong, I’ll help you.” Stan sighed, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts. “I doubt it’ll work, but I’ll go over to Cartman’s house today and try to get him to shut up about you. After this weekend is over, on Monday I’ll talk to Tweek and get him to sit with us during lunch time.” 

“Thanks dude.” Kyle felt gratitude, he knew Stan would always have his back. “You wouldn’t say it was so wrong if you just knew how adorable Tweek is.” 

“Yeah.” Stan replied in a very dull manner. “Remember that one time he tried to save us with a bazooka? Totally cute. How could I have been so clueless until now?” The sarcasm was dripping from voice. He snorted, before adding, “… as if that would ever happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realise how hard it was to write Stan as a character, because his personality isn't very clearly defined like the others. Thanks so much for the nice comments. I will try to make longer chapters, but I'm trying to aim for quality over quantity. 
> 
> Chapter updates at the beginning of every weekend! 
> 
> \- A. Valentine


	6. In Sickness and In Health II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary So Far  
> Craig and Tweek's relationship is progressing ever since Craig admitted his evolving feelings. Unexpectedly, Kyle also confessed to Tweek soon after. Stan, who is conflicted about the situation, decides to help his best friend…

Stan didn’t know why he was overly nervous to initialise a conversation with the messy blond-haired boy. He just felt a weird ache in his stomach area as he watched Tweek struggle to put his stuff back in his locker. It must be because his intentions weren’t exactly pure, trying to trick the blond kid into meeting with Kyle, which he didn’t feel exactly right about doing so. That must have been it. “Hey Tweek,” Stan called out as casually as possible as he walked over. 

“Eek!” The twitching boy jumped on the spot before turning around quickly to face the other boy. “Why does everyone like to sneak up on me at my locker!?” 

Stan was close enough now that the aroma of ground coffee beans hit his senses. “Dude you smell…!” really good, Stan bit back from adding, covering his nose with his hands in shock. 

“Ehh!? Hey! Just because…” 

“Urgh, I think I’m going to be sick.” The raven-haired boy took a step backwards away from the source of the discomfort. That unusual pain in Stan’s tummy region intensified. He didn’t know what was happening all of a sudden, but the feeling was strangely familiar.

“Gah! This-this is about Kyle isn’t it!?” Tweek looked really pissed. “Listen, I didn’t want to say this – “

Stan stared at the overly animated boy in wonder; somehow, his appearance must have changed since last week, as he had a faint glow surrounding him. Tweek’s large blue-green eyes glared back. Every so often the boy momentarily grimaces, closing one of his eyes tightly shut; it was inarguably very cute. Oh god, Kyle’s nonsense talk must have gotten to me, Stan thought. But then again, the familiarity of this feeling was bubbling to the surface. Like a word he knew existed, but just eluded his grasp. 

“– possessed by a ghost! Ahh! That is way too much – “ 

Wendy. It was similar to how he used to feel about Wendy, Stan realised in a sudden epiphany. He continued to watch with half-lidded eyes, enchanted by the boy with radiant blond locks. Tweek was still talking animatedly, his arms waving around in exaggeration, completely clueless to the other boy’s sudden paradigm shift. Stan wondered how it was even possible he missed what was so transparently obvious now? 

“– then maybe he’ll want my blood too! Eek! So scary – “ 

It must have been because Tweek was nothing like Wendy, who is, as PC Principal would say, a strong, independent woman. The trembling blond was more like an endangered animal, a rare species that must be protected. Stan felt more conflicted now than ever; in his mind different competing interests were duking it out for supremacy.

“– all the reasons why Kyle should leave me alone!“ Tweek finally stopped his rant, taking in deep breaths. 

“… what?” Stan blinked at Tweek, a blank look painted on his face. 

“Jesus Christ! I swear you are like Craig sometimes!” Tweek crossed his arms, but his facial expression relaxed a bit. “He warned me about you guys! Gah! So I’m going to stay away from now on! I-I remember we stopped being friends all of a sudden before, so this isn’t anything new.” 

“Come on dude, we are still friends.” Stan stated with confidence. “What about that one time, when you helped us look for Kyle’s little brother?” 

“Nngh! There is no way I would go into a scary forest all alone! I was just following Craig...” 

“No way, dude.” Stan interrupted. “No offence, but that guy is kind of a dick.” 

“Believe it or not, Craig is actually a really caring person!” The blond boy tensed up, he hated this common misconception of his stoic partner. “He just doesn’t like to show off!” 

“You’re right man. I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have just abandoned you as a friend.” Stan lifted his hands up in a show of surrender. “You have every right to be mad.” 

Tweek paused as he noticed the other boy didn’t actually apologise for insulting Craig, before sighing in resignation. “I’m not mad about that, if that didn’t happen I wouldn’t have started hanging out with Craig,” he admitted candidly. “…and-and Token and Clyde, of course!” 

Stan frowned, he didn’t like how Craig seemed to be always on Tweek’s mind. “Hey, why don’t you hang out with me during lunch, just like old times?” Stan asked hopefully. 

At this unexpected proposition, Tweek glanced at the taller boy properly for the first time in a while. Stan’s brown jacket didn’t hide the fact that he was clearly one of the most athletic boys in their year level. The black locks of hair poking out from underneath his blue and red hat reminded Tweek of his partner. He briefly wondered if it was just as soft to the touch. “I told you before…” Tweek sighed again in frustration. “Wouldn’t Kyle be there?” 

“I won’t let him touch you.” Stan replied immediately. “Also, I think it might be best if you told him directly what you just told me, you know let him down gently. Otherwise, he probably won’t stop.” 

“You-you think so? We-well, you do know him best.” Tweek paused for a moment to think about it before shaking his head rapidly. “No man, like actually reject somebody? That is way too much pressure! I-I can’t…” 

“No dude, you can.” Stan wanted to move closer, but decided against it for now. “You can do more than you think.” 

The blond boy returned a confused look at that statement; there are quite a few similarities between Craig and Stan. “Oh ok fine,” Tweek finally said. The other boy smiled widely in response, showing his perfect set of white teeth. At this display, Tweek turned away to hide his reddening face. Then again, there is no way Craig would show his emotions so freely. “… uh, so-so anyway, Stan. Do I actually smell?” 

“Nah man, that was just me being an ass.” Stan laughed, before continuing in a very grim tone. “Though you should seriously stay at least 3 feet away from me at all times.” 

“Hey! You asshole!” Tweek held a fake frown for a second before bursting out laughing.

* * *

Tweek followed Stan to his group’s lunch table. The boy twitched in surprise to see Cartman sitting with Kyle, like nothing had happened between them last week; it was as if this was just another episode on a non-serialised cartoon show. Albeit Kenny, a boy whose face was constantly hidden by a bright orange parka, sat between the two. He must be the glue which kept the odd group of people from fracturing apart. 

Kyle stopped talking once he noticed the pair approaching and lifted his hand in a wave, quickly flashing a smile of gratitude to the taller one. Stan returned a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. Oh god, I should have known it was a trap, Tweek thought franticly, suddenly freezing. He trembled on the spot, his mind repeating in a loop that he should have just listened to Craig in the first place and not have been charmed by Stan. 

A hand waved in front of Tweek’s face. “Dude are you ok?” Stan asked with a gentle smile. “I said you can sit where ever you feel comfortable.” He looked expectantly at the shaking blond boy. Tweek felt it was now far too late to run away, so he took a seat on the furthest corner away from Kyle. Stan carefully took a seat on the same side as Tweek, a foot away in distance.

“… I can’t believe you like this weirdo.” Eric stated between mouthfuls of food. 

Slowly without anyone but Tweek noticing, Stan shifted on the bench closer and closer until the side of his leg gently knocked the blond boy’s own leg. The raven-haired boy audibly sighed in relief, before smiling brilliantly at the smaller boy. Tweek turned away as his look of confusion was replaced by a blush. 

“Shut up, fatass! I thought Stan talked to you!” Kyle shouted quickly, looking around to see if there were any eavesdroppers. “He told me you promised not to talk about that!”

“And you believed me.” Eric snorted. “Besides, it’s not like anyone in this town cares anymore. We’re PC now bruh.” He pointed to the ‘Token’s Life Matters’ black and white shirt he was wearing. 

Kyle sighed in frustration, biting back the retorts he had planned, before turning towards the boy on the opposite corner of the bench. “Tweek, I’m so sorry man, I shouldn’t have hurt you like that.” 

“It-it’s ok,” Tweek mumbled meekly, his previous boldness dulled due to nervousness. He wasn’t sure if the source of his anxiety was due to Kyle being here or because of how weird Stan was acting. “Just don’t – “

“Well, I was wrong about Craig’s feelings,” Kyle continued unabated. “However, I still think I’m right – “

“Dude, Tweek was trying to say something,” Stan interrupted, frowning. “You should try listening for once.” He briefly rested his hand on Tweek’s thigh underneath the table in a gesture of support, but that only made the blond boy tense up even more instead. “Go ahead Tweek.”

“Wha?” Kyle replied, looking with a mixture of surprise and confusion at his supposed best friend. “What is your problem man? I’m just trying to explain myself, I thought that you – “ 

“Do you ever shut up and think about what Tweek wants?” All heads turned back towards Stan, as if in a tennis match. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes tightly in frustration. “You are seriously acting like Cartman right now.” The real Cartman cracked up laughing in the background. 

Kyle slammed one of his clenched fists down onto the table, making Tweek jump in his seat. “I’m nothing like that fatass, god-damn it!” The redhead frowned at Stan, as if trying to figure out a hard puzzle. “Dude, what the hell is wrong with you?” 

“I just woke up and realised that green doesn’t even look good on you! Not to mention your hat is stupid!” 

“Ok ouch,” replied Kyle, finally noticing how close his friend was sitting next to the object of his affection. In a flash of insight, Kyle’s posture became rigid. He suddenly realised what the root of Stan’s problem was; they were super best friends for a reason. “Oh my god… Stan stop whatever you are thinking right now.” 

“What?” Stan froze, hoping his best friend didn’t just read his mind right now. “Wha-what are you talking about Kyle?” 

“You are just probably really confused at the moment, possibly because of me.” Kyle explained calmly. 

Stan felt the heat rise to the surface of his face in embarrassment at how transparent he was to Kyle. Still, he shook his head in defiance. “No Kyle, I don’t think I’ve ever been more certain.” 

“Stan, just stop! You always had the tendency to go with the crowd even when it doesn’t apply to you! Remember that metrosexual phase, or when you used the transgender bathroom!?” Kyle stood up. “This doesn’t apply to you either, so stop it!” 

“You-you can’t just tell me to stop feeling!” Stan shouted back. Tweek exchanged a puzzled look with Kenny, mystified at this half conversation. 

Kyle stared at his friend with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance. He realised that he wouldn’t be able to persuade Stan at this moment, so he needed to act right now. The fiery haired boy walked around their table and grabbed the jittery boy’s arm. “Tweek, we are leaving. It’s dangerous to remain here.” 

“Da-dangerous!?” Tweek repeated in a high pitch voice, looking around with wide eyes for this unseen threat. He was suddenly yanked off his seat. 

“Don’t even fucking touch him!” Stan roared, getting up immediately and grabbing the skittish boy’s other arm. “He’s least safe with you!”

“You are not gay!” Kyle finally responded, emphasising each word. The cafeteria had long gone quiet. Tweek faced the person in question in surprise. Stan immediately looked down to the side as his entire face burned red in embarrassment, his grip loosening. 

Cartman suddenly started laughing, almost manically. “This-this is the best thing ever you guys!” he interjected between deep breathes. Kenny’s blond brows were scrunched together, his voice muffled as he mumbled something indecipherable. 

The other blond boy’s facial expression eased a bit, as he looked at the dwindling figure in sympathy. “It-it’ll be ok Stan – “ Tweek began. 

“What the hell are you two doing to my boyfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan has joined the party haha. I kept my promise to make the chapters longer :) I'm aiming for >2000 words per chapter. I'm interested in your thoughts on this particular chapter. 
> 
> Chapter updates at the beginning of every weekend! 
> 
> \- A. Valentine


	7. In Sickness and In Health III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary So Far  
> Craig and Tweek's relationship is progressing ever since Craig admitted his evolving feelings. Unexpectedly, Kyle and Stan also fell for Tweek. Like astronomical bodies that feel the gravitational pull of a nearby sun, they are set to collide, and someone is bound to get burnt…

“What the hell are you two doing to my boyfriend?” A monotonic and deep voice suddenly called from behind, carrying with it a thinly veiled threat. Craig stood a few steps away from the group, his stance tensed, and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were tinged white. “Let go of him. Now.” 

Kyle and Stan looked at each other, exchanging cryptic expressions. After what seemed to be just a moment, a green hat tilted slightly in an almost imperceptible nod. Suddenly, Tweek’s direct view of his partner was blocked off by two bodies. “Look Craig, Tweek chose to sit here out of his own free will.” Kyle stated in a matter of fact tone. “You should stop being so controlling.” 

The normally stoic boy glowered at the two boys who stood in his way. “Was it also Tweek’s free will to be touch by trash?”

Kyle was about to immediately respond but paused when he noticed the two new figures joining the scene, flanking Craig from both sides. Token was casually rolling up the long sleeves on his purple shirt. An annoying sound pierced the air as Clyde sucked loudly on the straw of the drink he was holding. He shrugged and smirked like a fox at the irritated looks the other four boys were giving him. “So, are we going to do this like old times?” 

This statement made Kyle hesitate, as he turned around to look expectantly at his two friends still sitting down. Cartman snorted at this. “This isn’t my fight,” he responded instantly. The boy hidden in orange paused for a while longer, before nodding and mumbling something in apparent agreement with the disproportionally sized boy. 

“That-that’s it!” Tweek suddenly shouted, pulling at his hair in stress. “Th-this is so stupid! Argh! Fighting over me or something, as if I’m not even standing right here! Like I’m just a pawn in some game! Gah! I-I swear if anyone fights here... I’ll-I’ll never talk to them ever again!” The messy blond boy pushed through Kyle and Stan, who were shocked at the unexpected outburst. He stomped up to Craig, who seemed more than a little proud, grabbed his hand and led him away without looking back. “We are leaving!” 

Clyde shot Token a questioning look, who shrugged in response. Grinning, Clyde casually tossed his drink onto the table where the other boys were sitting. The liquid spilt all over on their food, but mostly on Cartman’s black and white ‘Token’s Life Matters’ shirt. “What the fuck!” the overweight boy yelled. 

“You probably shouldn’t have done that,” Token scolded his friend as they both nonchalantly turned around and walked away, following Tweek’s path. A clear smile betrayed his true feelings. 

“You’re welcome,” replied Clyde. 

“I swear I’ll get you guys back for this!” Cartman’s threat reached their ears. 

Without missing a beat, they both simultaneously lifted one hand to flip off everyone behind them.

* * *

“Slow down Tweek,” Craig demanded, as his boyfriend was still pulling him away at a fast pace. “Where are we even going?” 

“No-nowhere. I don’t know, just away from there!” Tweek exclaimed, before coming to a complete stop. He didn’t turn around to face his partner, as his felt his face was still flushed red in embarrassment. “You shouldn’t have interfered, you made things worse. I-I can handle things myself sometimes, Craig.” 

“Made things worse?” Craig repeated, letting go of Tweek’s hand. He moved in front and grabbed the shoulders of the trembling boy, who had his head down, still refusing to make eye contact. “There were two strange guys touching and fighting over my boyfriend! How could I not interfere!?” 

“We-well Kyle was wrong b-but Stan he – “ Tweek started stammering.

“You’re actually defending him?” interrupted Craig in disbelief. 

The other boy’s blond hair shook back and forth in denial. “I think Stan is just confused. He’s like me, he needs help sorting out his feelings sometimes.” 

“Yeah, he looked really confused rubbing up against you like that,” the normally stoic boy stated dryly. Shocked blue eyes finally met volatile green eyes. “That’s right, I saw the whole thing! You didn’t even seem to object!” 

“Wh-what I-I did not ask him to sit so close!” yelled the smaller boy, infuriated at the other’s insinuation, pulling away. “If you saw it, then why didn’t you interrupt sooner!?” 

The distance that now separated them only escalated the taller boy’s frustration. “You just said earlier you didn’t want me to interrupt, and now you do!?” 

“He didn’t earlier, because I told him not to do so.” Token’s calm voice suddenly interjected, answering Tweek’s earlier question. He finally caught up, with Clyde trailing closely behind. “I thought Craig was being too overprotective lately. So, I persuaded him that it would be a valuable learning experience for you, after all he can’t be around all the time.” 

“Yup, should have seen how Craig was jumping out of his seat just to get to you!” Clyde added somewhat unhelpfully with a little laugh, to the embarrassment of his stoic friend. Tweek’s shaking slowed down at that anecdote. 

“I was wrong in this case, those two weren’t acting right, even in public. And Craig,” Token paused for a moment to think. He decided a detailed argument won’t be helpful, factoring in Craig’s emotional intelligence and lack of communication skills. “… stop being so insecure. Remember he asked you to be his boyfriend.” 

The green-eyed boy let out a breath, the tension draining away as he processed his friend’s intervention. Craig knew he acted like an ass to his boyfriend. “I’m really sorry babe. I didn’t mean to take it out on you, I was just really pent up.” The stoic boy looked down to the floor awkwardly. “…and maybe a bit jealous too.“ 

“M-me too, Craig. I’m really sorry too.” Tweek quickly closed the gap between them, grabbing both hands of his partner. He was close enough that Craig could feel the other’s breath caress his skin as he talked. “You were right, those guys are trouble. I’ll stay away from them.” 

Craig stood still, transfixed by those fascinating pair of eyes; whose colour was a gentle gradient of blue fading into green. “Y-yup,” the raven-haired boy finally replied as he lost track of the conversation. He forced himself to turn away, to face his two friends; Token was politely looking away, while Clyde, in contrast, had clearly no such reservations with blatantly gawking at them. “I was wondering, could you guys help us?”

“Yeah duh!” Clyde continued to grin like a shameless wolf, despite being caught staring. “What are friends for?” 

“You don’t even need to ask.” Token readily agreed. “Plus, I really want to prevent any possibility of you guys breaking up; otherwise I’ll have to suffer through Clyde’s annoying, non-stop wailing and crying.”

“Hey! I happen to have a very manly cry, thank you very much!”

* * *

“So that’s the plan, while at school at least one of us will be with him at all times.” Craig explained to his two friends who sat around the café table. They decided to meet up again after school at Tweek’s parent’s coffeehouse, as he currently had a night-time work shift. 

“It’s fortunate that between the three of us we can cover all Tweek’s classes.” Token stated, as he double checked the printed schedules that laid scattered across the table surface. “No secret plots of revenge, Clyde. They are probably pissed off at what you have already done.” 

“You are no fun,” whined the boy in response, still tugging on the sleeve of his straight-laced friend’s purple shirt, in a failed attempt to give his best puppy dog eyes. Token continued to ignore his brown-haired friend’s childishness. 

“What do you mean already done?” asked the boy in blue, one black-haired eyebrow arched up in an otherwise blank expression. 

“Nothing that they didn’t deserve!” Clyde replied, suddenly snickering. “You should have seen Cartman’s face!” 

Token couldn’t help but smile in amusement. “Ok, no more plots of revenge. We want to be on the right side, just in case we have to take this situation to a teacher or the school principal.” 

“Fine, fine.” The brown-haired boy’s red jumper crumpled up as he slouched in his chair, voicing his disappointment with an exaggerated sigh. 

“Erm… not that I don’t like you guys being here and helping me, but isn’t it already getting quite late?” Tweek asked as he walked up to their table, carrying with him a tray containing three freshly made cups of coffee. Craig couldn’t help but stare as his blond boyfriend handed off the warm drinks to their two friends; he looked especially adorable in his white apron, clearly in his element in this place. “I, um… I’ll be ok here by myself.” As the normally trembling boy made to give his partner the last beverage, Craig skilfully took the cup from him with one hand and replaced it with the other hand. Tweek didn’t move to pull his hand away, as he stared back at his partner with a questioning look. 

“Tweek my man! You agree with me that we should do something – “ Clyde babbled on, oblivious to the sudden tension in the air. 

“We were just leaving Tweek.” Token suddenly got up and grabbed the collar of his clueless friend’s red jumper. “See you tomorrow at school.” He was able to successfully drag his brunette friend out of the shop, not without some noisy complaining. 

The place became silent, besides the hum from the nearby fridge. Nobody else was here this late at night, and Tweek’s dad was in the storage backroom doing inventory counts for the next day. The blond boy felt his partner lightly pull his hand down. “Craig, I still have work. You should go home.” He sighed, before relenting and sitting down in an empty nearby chair. Without saying a word, Craig lifted his free hand slowly to gently touch his boyfriend’s face. Tweek gasped softly as he felt his cheek being tenderly caressed. “Everything is fine. I-I’ll be ok.” he repeated, this time in a higher pitched voice. 

“I know you will be.” Craig finally spoke, moving to pull his most treasured person in a tight embrace. He continued to whisper quietly, his voice raw and vulnerable. “… I’m just afraid I won’t be, if I ever lose you.” Tweek had to strain to hear over his partner’s racing heartbeat, or perhaps it was his own; he couldn’t tell as the combined melody they played was entwined and inseparable. 

“I swear to you Craig, that won’t ever happen.” Tweek spoke strongly and with such certainty it left no room for doubt. His partner didn’t move at those words; they remained together in each other’s arms, as if a single stationary statue, for a while. The blond boy was starting to wonder if Craig had heard him when finally, he pulled away and stood up. The typically stoic boy now smiled gently at him; Tweek knew this expression was only reserved for him personally. Without another word, Craig turned around and left. 

Tweek sat dazed and confused at what just happened. He knew that his partner liked him, but did that have to mean exposing each other’s weaknesses like that? In his mind, Tweek’s imaginary construct of a strong and almost indifferent Craig shattered, and was replace by the image of something more powerful. Though if he had to say all his own fears to his partner, that would honestly take more than a while.

The messy haired blond boy suddenly stood up when he realised how late at night it was according to a nearby clock. Normally he would be finished tidying up the place by now, but his friends stayed overtime. He moved quickly to the nearest bin, tying up the large plastic lining bag neatly and dragged it towards to the backdoor. As he stepped into the empty sideway alley, the chill of the soundless night immediately bit into all his exposed skin, causing the boy to shudder. 

Tweek threw the trash bag into the large dumpster bin; the resulting crashing noise was much louder than expected, reverberating through the deserted alleyway. It was cold enough he could see each breath as he exhaled at the effort. His psychologist said that according to cognitive behavioural therapy, changing his behaviour would help with his thoughts. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Craig, obsessive thoughts aren’t good. Groaning, he hid his face using his hands as he felt the heat rise to the surface of his uncovered skin, perhaps a physiological reaction to counteract the bitter winds. 

Suddenly an external force pushed Tweek from behind towards the nearest wall. He could only manage to take in a short gasp as his face smashed violently onto the rough surface. He was stunned for just a moment, allowing the attacker enough time to cover his mouth and supress the resulting scream for help. The terrified boy struggled helplessly against the crushing strength of his assailant; he was pinned down like a defenceless bunny caught in the steel jaws of a beartrap. 

“Tell me what you have done to them.” The deep voice demanded in a terrifyingly calm tone.


	8. Till Death Do Us Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary So Far  
> Craig and Tweek's relationship is progressing ever since Craig admitted his evolving feelings. Unexpectedly, Kyle and Stan also fell for Tweek soon after, causing drama and misunderstandings. Craig and his friends made plans to counteract this. Tweek is suddenly attacked by a mysterious person.

“Tell me what you have done to them,” the deep voice demanded in a terrifyingly calm tone. Tweek became limp when he realised he couldn’t escape; despite the attacker’s lean frame, he was deceptively strong. The trembling boy’s vision blurred at the realisation of his own helplessness; he was going to be killed. “I will remove my hand if you agree to answer my questions and not scream. Nod if you understand.” Tweek moved his head rapidly and tried to verbalise his agreement, but the words came out all muffled. 

The blond-haired boy tensed up as the assailant moved his rubber gloved hand. “D-done to who?” Tweek blurted out almost immediately. “I-I swear I don’t know what you are talking about man! Oh god! P-please let me go!” At those words, the frightened boy felt his captor loosen his grip. 

“Kyle Broflovski and Stan Marsh,” stated the mysterious figure, now sounding less than certain. “I know you have done something to them.” Tweek was surprised that his attacker knew his two classmates. 

“I-I did nothing to them! Gah! They were the ones who suddenly started acting weird!” It must be someone they know, Tweek realised. He was still pinned to the wall, so he couldn’t turn around to confirm his suspicions. Craning his neck, he could only catch a glimpse of what looked like the ends of a large dark purple cape, flowing to one side in the wind. “W-who even are you?” he asked in a shaken voice. 

At that question, Tweek’s assailant froze for what seemed like a long time. Finally, he felt the cold air of freedom as the attacker gradually shifted his weight. The blond boy heard barely audible footsteps, which stopped a few paces away from him. Tweek turned around slowly, in hopes to not trigger another attack, and immediately took in the strange lavender shirt which hung on the tight build of the shadowy individual. A prominent green letter ‘M’ adorned his chest, and an equally puzzling green question mark was crowned on top of a dark purple cloak wrapped deftly around his head. 

The unusually attired boy was relaxed, leaning on the wall at the other side of the alleyway with his arms crossed. He was looking away to the side, as if focused on something far in the distance. “I keep watch over the city at night. I work to rid these streets of crime. I am… Mysterion.” The deep voiced figure turned to make eye contact with the other boy, taking note of his increasingly widening blue-green eyes. “As darkness and violence – “

“Stop it Kenny! I know it’s you! Y-you scared the hell out of me!” Tweek now looked at his classmate with a frown. “You know that really hurt man, slamming me face first like that!” 

“Sorry, I had to test you just in case you were the actual perpetrator.” Kenny smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with a green gloved hand. 

“Why would I even want this to happen?!” Tweek snapped back angrily. He was frustrated that it wasn’t only Craig who thought he purposely invited the actions of other people. 

The costume wearing boy paused for a minute, looking at the other boy with careful consideration. “Sometimes people are brought up in broken homes. There are those who stand up for justice because of their childhood adversity, and then there are those who fall prey to it; both these potentials stem from the same place, from the need to be loved.” Kenny’s serious face morphed into a smirk at his next statement. “... this is especially the case for blond boys who act all innocent. Well, I actually have a more likely suspect in mind.” 

“Does that mean you don’t think I did it?” asked Tweek, confused at how that strange monologue even applied to him, other than the blond boy part. Wait, wasn’t Kenny also blond? 

“I already know you are actually a very skilled actor; your boyfriend is surprisingly quite talkative when the topic is about you,” added the masked boy with a grin. The shaking boy hoped that the darkness would hide his embarrassment. “But I’ll believe you for now.” 

“F-fine! Who is the other suspect then?” Tweek was genuinely curious, not yet completely believing that everything that has happened to him was part of some kind of greater plot. 

Kenny inspected the other boy cautiously, as if contemplating whether it was beneficial to divulge that information. “Eric Cartman,” he finally admitted. 

“Cartman!?” Tweek replied in shock. “But wait a moment, how could he even do that!? Nngh! You know Kyle and Stan could just be temporarily insane or something!” 

“At the same time? Not like this, I’ve known those two nearly my whole life. Cartman has both the motive and opportunity, though I admit I do not know the means. It could be blackmail, or… Tweek, it is possible that there are supernatural forces at play here.” Kenny lowered his voice, which caused the messy haired boy to shudder in fright at the unknown possibilities. “That is why I need your help.” 

“If you suspect me then why even ask for my help!?” Tweek asked bitterly. 

“You are not completely unrelated to this; don’t you want them off your back? I want my best friends back. We have a mutual understanding and common goal here.” Plus, Kenny thought, on the off chance you are behind all this you might slip up, so either way this benefits me. “Do I have your support or not?” 

“Argh! Fine! What do you want me to do?” 

“I will find you at school with the full plan, but in short we are going to confront Cartman.” Kenny stated in a deadly serious tone. 

“Oh Jesus!” Honestly, Tweek would rather just avoid any confrontation. “If-if you think that would put everything back to normal, then I’ll do it.” 

“You must not tell anyone what we are planning, not even Craig.” The taller boy suddenly moved towards the shivering boy in large strides. Tweek stepped back involuntarily, accidently hitting the back of his head on the wall. Kenny’s gloved hands landed on the wall on both sides of the trembling boy, blocking any potential escape path. His bright blue eyes scanned the frightened boy’s face carefully. “… Tweek, I’m sorry but I have to ask. Have you considered whether Kyle was really the first victim?” 

“Wha-what are you talking about?” Tweek blurted out with a stutter, perplexed at why the other boy needed to be so close. His brow pinched together in confusion. “Kyle was the first one who started acting weirdly towards me all of a sudden, wasn’t he?” 

Kenny paused, it would be cruel to not open the other’s eyes to the possibility. “Has Craig also acted weirdly towards you recently?” he asked carefully, echoing the twitching boy’s own terminology in the hope he would understand the implications. 

Tweek’s eyes slowly widened as his mind processed what was just said. Suddenly he felt as if he was punched, except it hurt much more than anything physical. He shook his head back and forth rapidly. “N-no! It’s not true what you are saying!” That was a lie, Craig did admit to liking him just before Kyle changed. Was it all just fake? Tweek shook his head again. “Stop!” He couldn’t prevent his brain from thinking, as doubt seeped through the cracks. He felt warm tears trail down his cheeks. “You-you’re wrong!” 

Kenny looked with sympathy at the quivering boy, who had his head down with tears falling from his tightly shut eyes. Either Tweek is the best actor in the world, or more likely he is just another victim. “Of course, you guys have been boyfriends for a while so this situation is probably unrelated. Just for now, be careful of who you trust, even if it is Craig.” Somehow, he felt the need to protect this boy. Perhaps his desire to help Tweek didn’t stem entirely from him wanting his best friends back. “I promise you, I will help you to uncover the truth.”

That is right, the situation with Craig is different from Kyle and Stan, Tweek thought. There is no need to jump to any conclusions. Now he felt stupid crying in front of his classmate like this. The messy haired blond boy rubbed his face on the long sleeves of his green shirt. “O-ok thanks… Kenny?” Tweek looked around in bewilderment after he opened his eyes, Mysterion had disappeared.

* * *

“Crraaaiiigggg!” Clyde was howling again like a kicked puppy. Other students around them were staring at the odd pair as they walked through the school building. This happened infrequently now days, but enough times to be annoying. “Oh god Craig! I’m sooo sorry! I-I couldn’t help it…” 

“Yup.” Craig replied in a monotone voice, intent on ignoring the brown-haired boy. The things that made Clyde upset usually resolved themselves without requiring any intervention on his part. He found it was best not to encourage his friend’s drama. 

“Listen!” Clyde tugged on the sleeves of his friend’s blue jumper. Big dollops of tears were running down his face. “This-this time it’s different! Oh my god Crraaiiggg! I couldn’t…“ 

“Everything will be fine.” Craig immediately interrupted, wishing this latest episode would be over soon. He had other things to think about, like Tweek and everything that happened last night. 

“Noooo!” Clyde continued to wail. “Just-just listen to me! I messed up! Y-you don’t, you don’t understand – “ 

Craig was still embarrassed with the whole situation last night, Tweek was clearly too good for him. His boyfriend understood him, his weaknesses, flaws and all; yet he still chose to stay by his side. Craig didn’t need to put up his shields and be that stoic statue everyone wants. He could fully be himself around Tweek, without any judgement or expectation. 

“ – and then I-I felt iitttt!” Clyde continued unabated. “I felt some-something strange inside, for hi-hhiiiimmmm! Oh god I’m soooo…“ 

“Wait, for him?” Craig asked, suddenly turned towards his friend, with a single brow arched up in surprise on an otherwise blank face. “Who are you talking about exactly?”

“Twweeeeekkk! I’m sooo sorry! I couldn’t help it for some reason!” Clyde cried into his raven-haired friend’s blue sleeve, damping it with all his teary fluids. Craig would have recoiled in disgust if he wasn’t so shocked. He tried to find any sign that this was just a joke, before realising his friend was being completely serious. “Please don’t hate me I-I couldn’t stand next to him any longer so I ran away to find yyooouuu!” 

“Where is my boyfriend right now?” Craig asked immediately, reaching down his pocket to fish out his phone. 

“I-I’m not sure,” Clyde stated, finally calming down a bit. “I left him with Token I…” 

“Ahhh! Oh my god! They’re going to get me!” Both boys turned towards the familiar yelling. In the distance they saw Token quickly leading Tweek away by hand. They watched as their friend suddenly turned onto a corner junction, opened a nearby broom closet and shoved the blond boy into it, before entering himself and closing the door quietly. 

Clyde was about to say something before Craig quickly shushed him. Kyle and Stan appeared, looking all flustered, they both turned the corner without bothering with the closet. Craig sighed in relief; luckily Token is a smart and reliable friend. “Um, Craig.” Clyde piped up, looking confused at his stoic friend. “Shouldn’t you be a bit more worried that they were holding hands?” 

Craig blinked with a blank face, as the gears turned in his brain. Without another word, he turned around and dashed towards the broom closet. As he made to grab the handle, the door suddenly swung open violently, hitting him face first. “Jesus Christ!” Tweek yelled, as he ran out. “They’re all going to get me! Ahhh!” He was sprinting away so quickly Craig didn’t have enough time to stop him. 

Token strolled out awkwardly, before freezing when he finally noticed Craig sitting on the floor, clutching his nose in pain. At the very least, Token didn’t bother hiding the guilty look on his face. Clyde finally caught up, and offerred a hand to friend. “Tell me what the hell is going on with the both of you?” Craig asked in a tone reminiscent of a restrained growl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay, I remain unsatisfied with the second half of this chapter (the Clyde and Token section). I still don't think it's up to my standards haha. 
> 
> I wonder how many of my lovely readers thought, like Mysterion, about the possibility of Craig being the first victim in all this? However, whether it is true is another question entirely! 
> 
> A new chapter every weekend! 
> 
> \- A. Valentine


	9. Till Death Do Us Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary So Far  
> Craig and Tweek's relationship was progressing ever since Craig admitted his evolving feelings. Kyle and Stan fell for Tweek soon after, causing drama and misunderstandings. Kenny suggests it is part of a bigger plot and makes plans with Tweek to confront his main suspect. Unexpectedly Craig’s friends, Clyde and Token, also fell for Tweek, upsetting him greatly.

It was an understatement to say Craig was worried. Tweek had so far disappeared for two days after that strange episode with their friends. He stood at the doorstep of his boyfriend’s house, with one hand raised hesitantly about to press the doorbell and the other hand clutching his phone tightly. Tweek has been ignoring all his messages and calls, which was unusual considering how paranoid he is about replying immediately. This means he doesn’t want to talk, therefore Craig knew he was directly imposing himself on his boyfriend by visiting uninvited. Sighing deeply, the raven-haired boy lowered his hand. 

Suddenly the door swung open, causing Craig to flinch back. “Craig, are you going to stand out here for another 10 minutes? Or you can come in and have some of our new home-grown coffee?” asked a tall brown-haired man in a mellow voice. 

“Erm… no thanks Mr Tweak. Is Tweek home?” asked Craig politely. It was way too late to back out now. 

“Please come on in,” Tweek’s dad answered smoothly with an awkward smile, moving aside for the boy in blue. “He is upstairs in his room. He’s been quite upset about something.” 

Craig nodded, before entering the house. As he moved up the stairs he heard the suppressed sounds of high-pitched mumbling. “Oh god they’re all going to get me!” The stoic boy frowned in response, it hurt him whenever his boyfriend was this distressed. Craig made sure he created enough noise to announce his arrival, before gently opening the bedroom door. 

“Cr-Craig!” Tweek looked at the other boy with wide green-blue eyes in genuine surprise. He was sitting on his bed clutching the fidget spinner Craig bought for him, what felt like ages ago. The raven-haired boy noticed the tired rings around his boyfriend’s eyes and his blond hair, normally untamed, was now a completely wild mess. “Wha-what are you doing here?” Tweek uttered in disbelief, scrambling away to the furthest corner on his bed. 

Craig sighed. He was stuttering with him now, a sure sign that he was uncomfortable with his presence. “I needed to see my boyfriend,” he stated; the blond boy visibly flinched after he uttered the word boyfriend. Frowning, Craig slowly moved towards the bed and sat down a good distance away. “Why haven’t you been returning my calls Tweek?” he asked calmly without any judgement. 

“I-I… um, I ca-can’t Craig…” stammered the blond boy almost incoherently. His eyes started to water. “I-I’m sorry Craig…” whispered Tweek, looking away in embarrassment. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Craig stated firmly. He wanted to move closer and hold the smaller boy, but that desire was overruled by what his boyfriend needs. “Please honey, tell me what has made you upset,” he asked softly. 

Tweek shook his head. “I-I can’t say… I-I’m so s-sorry,” he repeated, covering his face to hide the falling tears. 

“I already know about what happened with Clyde and Token.” Craig noticed his boyfriend’s posture stiffen at this statement. “They promised to leave you alone.” 

“I don’t want you to choose between me and your best friends,” admitted Tweek in an uncharacteristically steady tone, despite his trembling frame. “They were there for you before me, so maybe it’s better for you if we…” 

“No.” Craig interrupted immediately. “Don’t even think that. What is better for me is for my boyfriend to be happy. I don’t give a damn if that means I’ll have to give up everything else, because I’ll always have you.” 

Craig was suddenly tackled; warm arms wrap tightly around him. Shifting around more carefully, he returned the hug. He felt each deep breath as the smaller boy cried out. “Cr-Craig…” Tweek managed to say between sobs, dampening his boyfriend’s blue shirt. “Is this real? Would you ever forgive me for being so selfish if it wasn’t?” 

Craig was confused at those questions, so instead he silently held Tweek closer.

* * *

“Craig, you should really go to your own classes.” Tweek lightly scolded the taller boy as they left the classroom. The stoic boy just shook his head in response, instead grabbing the other boy’s hand in defiance. “I’ll be ok by myself,” sighed the blond boy. However, his soft smile and the gentle squeeze of his hand told Craig that the other boy didn’t actually mind. 

Tweek stopped suddenly in his tracks when he noticed from a distance that someone in bright orange was leaning nonchalantly against his own locker. His body couldn’t help but shudder in an instinctual reaction to those piercing ice-blue eyes, the only clear reminder that this was the same person who hurt him that night a few days ago. The mysterious boy’s blond brows were briefly taut as he looked back at the pair in disappointment, before his facial expressions was quickly replaced by a neutral mask. 

“I will catch up with you later, Craig.” Tweek said quietly as he tried to slip his hand away from the other’s grip. 

“No.” Craig stated simply as he frowned at his boyfriend, then turned to give Kenny his best glare. 

“Craig please trust me,” replied the blond boy. “Kenny is just a friend who wants to help the both of us. I will tell you about it later.” The raven-haired boy paused for a moment, before sighing deeply as he reluctantly let go of the other boy’s hand. 

“Ok babe. Just make sure call me if you feel even slightly uncomfortable.” Craig requested in a dejected voice, before turning around slowly and walking away. Tweek moved the other way towards his locker and it’s apparently new guardian, whose form is that of an orange cladded blond boy. 

The leanly built boy stood up straight as the other boy approached, his hands resting casually in his coat’s pockets. “It has been a while.” Kenny’s voice was muffled by the bright orange parka which covered his face, however Tweek could understand him. “Hm. I don’t think he likes me very much.” A pair of enigmatic blue eyes looked over the shorter boy’s shoulder, towards the spot Craig previously occupied. 

“S-sorry about that!” blurted out the twitching boy. Tweek got out his empty thermos flask from his backpack; messing around with it always helped to calm himself down when he was nervous. “Cra-Craig doesn’t trust many people now days.” 

“Good, you probably should do the same thing.” Kenny nodded in approval. “I heard about the situation with Clyde and Token.” He watched with interest as the other boy gently cradled the container of liquid, before suddenly freezing at a recent memory - 

> _“I swear I’ll get you guys back for this!” Cartman’s threat reached their ears._

Kenny loudly smashed his fist onto a locker beside him, making the trembling boy flinch away on the spot. “Fuck! I just remembered Cartman even threatened them the day before it happened! It’s like he’s blatantly mocking us!” 

“H-he threatened them!?” Tweek’s eyes widened in surprise, revealing the entirety of his round blue-green irises. “Gah! O-oh god!” 

“This is escalating faster than I thought.” The boy in orange turned away in frustration. “To make matters worse, there is no evidence, and I still have no clear idea how he could be doing it. We must confront him now.” 

“Oh Jesus! R-right now?”

Kenny shook his head. “Send a text asking him to meet with you after school, at our last year’s homeroom, alone.” He paused for a moment, clearly hesitant about something, before continuing. “Tell him you know about how he’s been messing around with your love life.” 

Tweek complied with the request, shoving his thermos below his underarm. His nimble fingers quickly typed out a message on his phone. “D-do you really think saying that would work?” 

“Tweek, while you were away I dug into Cartman’s past. I investigated his history with interfering with relationships.” Oddly, Kenny hesitated for a second. “There is something I should probably tell...” 

Suddenly, Tweek’s phone chimed, indicating a reply message was received. “He said he’ll meet me there.” Swallowing, he felt his throat was dry from trepidation. “Wha-what were you saying?” 

“Nothing. The fact that he responded only incriminates him further.” Sighing deeply, Kenny took out a crumpled envelope hidden in his jacket pocket and offered it to the other boy. “Here. Take this.” 

As Tweek moved to grab the letter, he felt the rough calluses scattered across the peculiar boy’s hand. “Wha-what is it?” he asked curiously. 

“Hide it in here.” Kenny knocked on Tweek’s locker behind him with his knuckles. “Don’t read it until I tell you to, or if something happens to me.” 

“I don’t understand, what is in it?” repeated the messy-haired blond boy. 

“Insurance.” The cryptic boy replied simply. “After school is done you should immediately go to the meeting place. I chose that place because his last class is actually on the other side of the school campus, however I will come in later.” He stood up straight, as if it emphasis their height difference, and moved closer to the smaller boy. “You will be alone with him for a few minutes.” 

“Jesus Christ! Why!?” Tweek squeaked out in confusion. “I-I thought we would be doing this together!“ He couldn’t help but notice the other individual’s sudden overwhelming presence. 

“No. There may be things he might say to you alone, that he wouldn’t otherwise with me around.” Due to the reflections of a nearby light source, the towering boy’s frozen sapphire eyes appeared to glow acutely from above. “Don’t worry, I will be with you shortly, and I will be watching you. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on releasing an unrelated very short and sweet Tweek x Craig story on Valentine's day (14th of February). Please watch out for this. 
> 
> I will still update this story next weekend. 
> 
> \- A. Valentine


End file.
